Thompson: New contract for Colin Kaepernick would be good move for 49ers

With free agency just around the corner, the 49ers could use a moving-forward type of move.

The national buzz over the relationship between Jim Harbaugh and Trent Baalke has mellowed out. But the eye of scrutiny is still firmly affixed on the 49ers, waiting on the next sign of chaos to bubble to the surface. A legitimate tone-changer is in order. And a new contract for Colin Kaepernick would be just that.

Quarterbacks and coaches are the stability of a franchise. And since Harbaugh is the epicenter of the 49ers chaos at this point, Kaepernick is the natural place to turn. Certainly, having the starting quarterback waiting on an extension doesn't help the cause.

Obviously, inking Harbaugh to an extension would do the most good as far as re-shifting the focus back to the field. But securing Kaepernick is the next best thing. The fourth-year quarterback and the 49ers have been reportedly working for the better part of a week on getting an extension done. Coming to terms before free agency begins March 11 would go a long way to signify the Harbaugh-Baalke drama won't have a lasting effect.

And when you think about how this team needs help to conquer its Seattle demons, there is some importance for free agents to know the 49ers' ship is still running strong.

If there is one player as responsible for the 49ers' success the last two years, it's probably Kaepernick. If there is one player on the team who is most capable of leading the 49ers to the franchise's sixth Super Bowl, it's Kaepernick.

The reality is, the 49ers have to sign him. Will sign him. Not doing so would be asking for disaster, a season-long distraction as the cherry on top to the coach-general manager saga.

The only real question is when and how much. Soon would not only get a major move out of the way but also provide the added benefit of shifting focus.

The 49ers have done a masterful job in the recent past by locking up homegrown talent to favorable deals. Linebacker NaVorro Bowman is perhaps the best example. His five-year, $45.5 million contract extension in 2012 looks like a steal after his MVP-caliber season -- especially considering the average salary for the top five linebackers was set at $2 million more than Bowman's average.

One of the casualties of all the recent drama is time. That doesn't mean the 49ers have to sign a bad deal. But the Harbaugh-to-Cleveland mess bubbling to the surface should mean less leverage for the 49ers to hardball Kaepernick. If minor concessions need to be made, they should be made for the sake of progression as a franchise.

To be sure, Kaepernick is worthy of the big deal he seeks. He should be looking at Chicago's Jake Cutler's deal ($18 million per year, $54 million guaranteed) as a starting point. He doesn't have the pocket presence of Cutler or the crazy numbers of Tony Romo. But Kaepernick also has something neither of them has: wins.

Two straight trips to the NFC Championship game, pulling off big road wins with clutch drives, that puts you in the ballpark of the big-number, mediocre-results guys. When he has weapons, Kaepernick has proved to be a dangerous quarterback.

With just 23 starts under his belt, he still needs to grow. And there should be some concern whether some of the intangibles he needs can be acquired.

Of course, if the 49ers aren't sure Kaepernick is their quarterback of the future at this point, the team has bigger problems than the nation waiting for Harbaugh and Baalke to wrestle it out on Maury Povich.

But they know he's their guy. They've already invested too much into Kaepernick -- though he's only made $2.5 million in base salary and bonuses the last two seasons -- to walk away now. So it is only smart to let him pay even more dividends.

The Harbaugh-Baalke stuff will still be there, one juicy detail from another dent in the 49ers' aura of football utopia. But locking up the franchise quarterback is the kind of meaningful move that can push the coach drama into the rearview.